Broken Trust: Little Bird Lost
By
AJ
Part 1: Mob Bosses and Their Sons
The night before his note was found, Dick Grayson made it to the Bristol area of Gotham City and to Woodrow Roosevelt High School. Checking the perimeter he found the spot he was searching for, a darkened corner that would allow him access to the roof without being seen. He didn't need to have an over zealous patrol officer hauling him in for trespassing. Waiting to make certain everything was clear, Dick pulled out his bat rope from his backpack, tied a batarang to it, and tossed it up to the roof,. He managed to get it wrapped around a pipe that was sticking up. Checking to see that it was secure, Dick shouldered his backpack and started to climb. As he climbed to the roof he had to clamp down on the sudden pang in his chest, remembering the many bat climbs he and Batman did together, the meeting of citizens out their windows, and the surprise attacks on the villains they faced. Would he ever do that again? Then anger shut down the nostalgic feelings, replacing them with pure resolve.
'I know one person who wants everything to stop. That person can't possibly know I'm Robin, since all this has been targeting Dick Grayson. That person wants me without a home and without a friend in the world. After this, I hope I still have a home to go back to."
Dick climbed onto the roof and took his bat rope and pulled it after him. He wound the rope around the batarang and placed it in his backpack. He didn't need it and he wasn't about to leave it behind to advertize that he had been at the school, or at least Batman and Robin. That would sully their reputation and his was sullied enough with what was done.
'Here's where I begin clearing my name," he thought.
Dick found the entrance near the air conditioning and heating equipment. Being on the roof, the door was never locked.
'I guess they don't expect anyone breaking into the school from the roof,' Dick thought.
He pulled out a set of night vision goggles to be able to see where he was going through the darkened corridors. The hallways gave off a ghostly glow as he passed through each one. It was an eerie feeling seeing the corridors devoid of fellow students and teachers. Dick made his way to the library first. He checked the shelf. Someone had returned the book that he had checked out the day before. It was after 2:00 am. Bruce would be returning to the manor and everyone would be asleep . . .'except for me,' Dick thought. He should be in bed, but the adrenalin rushing through Dick kept him on his mission. Reaching the library, he found the book back in its space on the shelf. "A Death in the Family," glared at him. Why had that person wanted him to see this book? There was an envelope stuck in the book. It hadn't been there before. Dick slipped it out of the book and stuffed it in his backpack. He would read it later when he had the opportunity. For now, he was after other information, but before he left the library, Dick placed in the back of the book a small sticker in the shape of a bat, just in case.
Dick was about to leave the library when his stomach gave out a large growl. Well, at least he was alone. He realized he probably should not have ignored his stomach for so long. Being away from Bruce and concentrating on finding out who discredited him, made Dick realize he needed to eat in order to continue that search. Dick moved down to the cafeteria. He really didn't want to steal food, but what choice did he have at this point. He decided the best he could do for himself was an apple. He could take a couple and throw the cores outside and not leave any evidence he had been here. He'll pay the school back later by giving them a large basket of freshly picked apples if he ever gets the chance.
Dick moved toward the front of the school to where the offices were. He found the office door locked. He looked around to see if there was another way in. He didn't want to pick the lock if he didn't have to. Sure enough he noticed the transom above the door was open. A transom was a window above a door to let heat escape. Dick maneuvered himself so he could climb through the transom. It was harder from the outside because of the angle of the window. It was angled outward into the hallway. Oddly enough getting out would be easier than getting in.
Dick moved through the office. The outer office was where the filing cabinets were kept. What he needed to know was who had his locker before him. Dick carefully read the labels on the filing cabinets and found the one he was looking for. He opened the drawer and flipped through the cards. He found the one with his name on it and checked the dates. To make things simple, the lockers were reassigned after each student graduated rather then trying to reset every combination. Dick checked the back of the card and found two names, a Wendy Weiman and a Matthew Malone. Wendy Weiman had the locker for only two years. The dates stopped at the same time he started his freshman year at the school. Matthew Malone had the locker before her.
'That's odd, that's not the name I was hoping to find,' Dick thought. 'And I know the person who was behind me was male. I wonder what Matthew Malone looks like.'
Dick checked the filing cabinet for the graduating class six years ago. He found the information about Matthew Malone. He read that his mother was Prudence Malone. His father was listed as deceased. The only other information he read was that he graduated with honors and had been accepted at Hudson Law School, part of Hudson University. The University was two hours from Gotham, too far for Dick to check it out. Even so, he wrote down the information just in case, and placed a small sicker on the folder as well.
'Now to check out the yearbook,' Dick thought. There were yearbooks in Schoolfield's office. He moved into the Principal's office and over to where the yearbooks were kept. There were yearbooks dating back to when the school was first established in 1886. Dick scanned the shelves and searched for the yearbook, but when he found the spot, the book was missing. In its place was an envelope that had his name on it.
Thinking about the envelope he found inside the book in the library, he could not help but think, 'How did the person know I'd be here?'
Continues with Part 2: A Safe Haven